11 months!

Wow. I can't believe Miles has only been with us for 11 months!! Sometimes it feels like he has been with us forever because that is the way it should be - we are whole with him here. But other times, I am amazed at how fast things are going! These days, Miles can:

• -Take steps!! I wouldn't really call it walking, but he can get to his feet, catch his balance without holding onto anything, and then take a step or 2 before he either falls over or squats back down. Inevitably, if we see this happen, we get so excited for him and encourage him, that he gets so excited! Then he tries it again, and aggressively launches his upper body forward without moving his little feet. Oh, well. The good news is that he isn't afraid to fall, and rarely fusses when he does.
• -Give hugs and kisses! For a couple of weeks, Miles has been able to lean in and give you an open mouthed slobbery kiss either when asked or when he feels like it. Now, he can also give hugs. He toddles / crawls over and puts his arms on your shoulders. I think he does it for our reaction which is to just scoop him up, wiggle him, and dote upon him. Come on, for that reaction, who wouldn't do something!
• -Point out things around him. I think he is most enamoured with turning on and off the lights and seeing the cause and effect of the switch on the light in the room. He points and hoots (he is BIG on hooting) and gets all excited until you turn the light off/on again.
• -Feed himself. Again, he has been doing this for a while, but he loves finger food. I also spoon feed him to move the process along, but if I didn't, he has been known to sit in his highchair for up to 45 minutes eating. If we get him something he likes, he still does the "Cheerio Aria" which means he hums along happily while eating. His favorite things these days are blueberries. My goodness, I need to buy stock in Chilean blueberry farms with the amount we go through. We've gotten to the point when we use Costco for our supply - and that is saying something! He also likes tortellini, ham, chicken, turkey and of course the required things like the whole versions of everything he used to eat pureed: sweet potatoes, peas and carrots... On a lark, I tried Lima Beans. To every one's surprise, Miles really liked them... and so did Tim and I! (It used to be on my list...)

He really is such a delight to be around. Monday mornings are all the harder as I just want to be home with my Little and my Big Loves.